The 35-year-old helped the Welsh 4x100m relay team to victory on his final appearance in Wales before hanging up his spikes at the end of the season

Christian Malcolm thanks the fans after completing his last ever race in Wales

Christian Malcolm bid an emotional winning farewell to Welsh athletics on his final appearance on home soil.

The 35-year-old helped the Welsh 4x100m relay team to victory on his final appearance in Wales before hanging up his spikes at the end of the season.

The Newport sprinter has struggled with injuries and a problem with an Achilles tendon saw him miss the whole of last season, including the World Championships in Moscow.

So Malcolm missed out on a fifth Commonwealth Games selection for Glasgow at the same Cardiff track in May.

But the sprinter was given a standing ovation last night as he shed tears on his departure at the Welsh Invitational after running the lead off leg in the 4x100m relay team with the victorious team of Dewi Hammond, Gareth Hopkins and Sam Gordon coming home in 40.62secs.

“That was an amazing reception and I’m overwhelmed by the support I got today,” said Malcolm.

“It’s not officially my final race but I’ve got loads of messages on Twitter and it was fantastic to get a reception like that from the crowd. I didn’t expect that.

“I’m still in shock that the emotion got to me like that.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to be on this journey but all good things come to an end.

“I think my body is saying ‘that’s it’ and the fact that I didn’t make the Commonwealths meant that it was hard to motivate myself.

“I’ve always been motivated by going to major championships so being told I wasn’t going to the Commonwealths was always going to be very difficult for me.”

Malcolm does plan to run again but is unsure where.

“I plan to race somewhere on the circuit but it’s hard to top that,” admitted Malcolm.

“We will see what happens.

“One final crack at Usain Bolt would have been nice but I just might have to stick to play station.”

Malcolm reached two Olympic 200m finals in Sydney in 2000 and Beijing eight years later where he finished fifth on both occasions.

He has competed at four Commonwealth Games, winning 200m silver in Kuala Lumpur in 1998 and a bronze in the same event in Delhi in 2010 as well as silver in the European Championships that same year.

Malcolm, who burst on the scene in 1998 by winning the World Junior Championships sprint double, also won world senior 4x100m bronze relay medals in 2005 and 2007.

“I don’t think there’s been any defining moment in my career,” said Malcolm.

“I’ve had a lot of special moments; my first Commonwealth medal in 1998 was a big moment.

“The fact that mum was able to come out there and see me win it was special.

“She’s always been a big supporter of my career, even back to the days when we had to walk an hour to the track because we didn’t have a car.

“She always encouraged me so for her to be able to see me win my first major medal out there was fantastic and that’s a special moment that will stick with me.

“But I’ve been fortunate to have had a lot of great moments; being in the final in 2008 when Bolt broke the world record was amazing and all my medals are up there.

“I’m just glad that my friends and family have been able to follow me on this journey.”

Malcolm has also had to overcome some significant injury and illness.

“I have always been a battler since I was a young kid,” said Malcolm.

“Somebody said to me the other day when I have had the amount of injuries I have had they would have given up a long time ago.

“I have been injured every year since I was 22 and I am 35 now.

“I still carried on fighting and that is testament to myself but also my family. We've got fighting spirit, and whatever it is we continue to fight for what we believe in and what we feel is right."

Malcolm admitted he was considering life after athletics.

“I have a couple of things in the pipeline and there are a few business that want to be involved,” added Malcolm.

“I am very passionate about the youngsters and not just in athletics.

“If a child has a talent and it’s wasted that is no good.

“I just want to help children realise their potential.

“My talent was always to run fast but I never thought I would get to this level.

“It was only because I was persistent.

“I never thought I would get to one Olympics, let alone four, one of which was a home Games in London.

“I want to set up an Academy, and I have spoken to Newport borough and I will speak to Cardiff.

“But I don’t just want to set it up to tick a box, I am passionate about helping youngsters.”

The Welsh Invitational event was also an ideal opportunity for the home athletes ahead of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow which starts next week.

The performances of the night came from Chris Gowell who produced the first sub four minute mile in Wales for 25 years with a time of 3:58:25 and Delhi 2010 Commonwealth silver medallist Carys Parry who set a new Welsh hammer record of 66.80m to finish second.

Brett Morse, who had to overcome the disappointment of not being included in the British team for the European Championships, won the discus with a modest effort of 58.84m, while Paralympic champion and Team Wales captain in Glasgow Aled Sion Davies was third in 47.61m.

Elinor Kirk, who hails from Swansea but has been running in America for the last couple of year, won the 3,000m in a time of 9:12:50.

Neath's 16-year-old Hannah Brier (11.93secs) finished second in the 100m B race behind Newport's Mica Moore (11.91secs). The pair joined up with Hannah Thomas and Lucy Evans to win the 4x100m team in 45.46s ahead of Glasgow.

Glasgow-bound Adam Bitchell won the men's 3,000m title while four-times British champion Lee Doran triumphed in the javelin with a throw just over 73 metres.

Jonathan Edwards, Matt Richards and Osian Jones finished fourth, fifth and sixth respectively in the men's hammer while decathlete David Guest finished second in the 400m in a time of 48.25secs behind Australian Alexander Carew.

Pole vaulter Paul Walker won the men's event with a leap of 5.30pm. Seren Bundy-Davies, who is not going to Glasgow, triumphed in the 400m with a lifetime best of 52.72m.

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